In fiberoptic communications, there are situations when it is desired to send a signal over a long distance, for example, from the east coast to the west coast of the United States. In such situations, repeater stations are utilized every 500 miles or so. The repeater stations read the signal and repeat the signal. Repeater stations are needed because the power being transmitted along the fiber is not great enough to be able to sustain and transmit the signal over the very long distance of several thousands of miles.
The use of repeater stations is expensive. Thus, it is desired to minimize the number of repeater stations that are needed. One way of minimizing the number of repeater stations needed is by transmitting high powers through each optical fiber. In previously used systems, powers along the range of up to about 400 milliwatts are utilized.
Higher powers transmitted through optical fibers are more dangerous than lower powers. Improvements in fiber optic connectors are desired to ensure safety for operators and equipment when transmitting powers greater than 400 milliwatts.